Our Butterfly Kerosene stove doesn't put out enough heat

[polecat]

Bought an old Seacook stove and was getting ready to convert it to Kerosene (or rather mineral spirits).  We decided to light it and make sure it worked - it wouldn't boil 6 oz of water in a 6 inch pan!  using new clean mineral spirits - it lights after 2nd tray full of alcohol and barely heats at all.  Runs for 1-4 minutes then just up and dies.  Will light right back up and run for a short while.  We took it apart and blew it out with high pressure air - it's not dirty - and still does the same.  any suggestions?  can you drill out the jet a small amount to get more out of it? Or re jet it?

[Leroy - Gulf 29]

I don't know much about stoves, but it sounds to me like the jet is dirty.  You can get tip cleaners at a NAPA store or welding supply place to clean the tip out.  Remember this advice is worth what you paid for it.  Is it a pressure stove?  I just scored on one of those, and am in the process of cleaning it up and firing it up to see if it works, so any advice (other than mine  :)) that you receive will help me as well.

[CharlieJ]

We also use a Seacook converted to kero.


I agree- I think the orifice is fouled.

[nmwarren]

Speaking of seacooks, I just got an old one off Ebay for really cheap, but it doesn't have the bulkhead mounting bracket.  Any ideas on what might work?  Has anyone else had a similar problem?  <p>

Mine looks a lot like this one:
http://www.spiritburner.com/fusion/fbbuploads/1246686293-SeaSwing1.jpg

[CharlieJ]

That isn't a Seacook. It's a Seaswing. The Seacook has a flat plate that drops into a slotted bracket on the bulkhead. The Seaswing has a rod that protrudes that the bracket slides over and setscrews onto a groove.

Of the two the seaswing is superior since nothing sticks out to hang you on.

Edited to add- we also feel that the pot holder arrangement in the Seacook is better. But then that's what we are used to.

[skylark]

I bought a Butterfly and it also has a very weak flame.  Mine will keep burning with no problem but it takes forever to heat up water and can not keep my pressure cooker up to pressure.  I am using kerosene.  Perhaps it needs diesel.  I am about at the point of reaming the oriface out to increase the diameter slightly.  It does not have enough power to heat for cooking.

[polecat]

Skylark - did you get any of the orifice cleaners with your Butterfly?  Three came with mine.  The major problem with mine was that the orifice was crushed a bit on installation restricting the gas flow.  It's a real bear getting that orifice out - I had to make a tool to fit the top of the orifice to get it out. Once out I chucked the orifice up in the drill and turned it using the tip cleaner to work thru the orifice - it now works better but will work it out some more later - if I can ever find that little slotted piece of metal again --- doubtful in my shop.  I'd recommend going to atom's site and looking at his troubleshooting procedures - These things have soft lead gaskets that I can't seem to get sealed again once I took them apart - next time to town will find some fiber gaskets and that ought to do it.  Bad thing about these critters is that everything has to be just right to work - good thing is that few things work as well once you get them going...
jim